“When you get to the general election, people don’t generally want either an angry person or a very harsh, shrill, partisan person,” Castro said about Perry’s prospects. “They want somebody … whose aim at least is to bring people together.”

Castro — in a rare joint appearance with twin brother Julián Castro, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary, at a Politico event titled “Lessons from Leaders” — said Cruz would face a similar hurdle. The senator needs to become a “true leader,” he said, pointing to Cruz’s crusade to defund Obamacare last fall as a time when Cruz lost support even among his own party.

Julián Castro has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Democrat Hillary Clinton, and the congressman said his brother has “a lot of options” in the future.

The congressman endorsed Clinton for president in a September fundraising email. The housing secretary didn’t join the endorsement.

The brothers didn’t only talk politics on Tuesday. They joked about their sibling rivalry growing up — and their similar looks. In high school, they switched places one time, when there was a substitute teacher.

“He always says the way to tell us apart is that I’m a minute uglier than he is,” Julián Castro said of his twin.

Both Castro brothers are considered rising Democratic stars in Texas. In 2012, Julián Castro delivered the keynote address at the party’s national convention.

On Tuesday, they each noted the GOP’s sweeping gains in the 2014 midterm elections, in which the party won control of the Senate and padded its House majority. Six Texas Republicans will hold committee chairmanships in the House.

Joaquin Castro said that his Republican colleagues are enjoying their power, acknowledging “they’re in very influential positions.” He added that Texas Republicans have promoted a narrative of job creation in the state but said the reality is less rosy.

His brother agreed, arguing that Texas lacks a “long-term view of success.”

“We’ve moved into an era where brain power is the new currency of success in the 21st century,” Julián Castro said. “And Texas has not necessarily moved along at the rate that it should.”

The housing secretary also spoke highly of his brother’s political prospects, saying that Joaquin Castro will be well-positioned to hold statewide office in Texas if he wants to. The congressman similarly predicted Julián Castro’s future is bright, saying “everybody knows I’m his biggest supporter.”

The brothers also poked fun at how infrequently they see each other, though they both work in Washington. Joaquin Castro said Congress has had so few work days that they’re rarely in the city together.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro introduces President Obama listens on July 31, 2014, at the agency's headquarters.

WASHINGTON – President Obama celebrated his newest Cabinet member – former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro – at a rousing with hundreds of cheering workers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“HUD is the department of opportunity,” said Castro, introducing the president at the agency’s auditorium. “We ensure that Americans can reach their American dream.”

The crowd hooted and clapped as Obama and Castro took the stage. Many snapped photos at the sight of Castro’s twin brother, freshman Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio.

Obama noted that the congressman was pretty much obliged to be there. “The brother’s like OK, I gotta show up,” he joked, after noting that of all the executive agencies he oversees, “clearly HUD has the rowdiest employees. I didn’t realize that.”

His former housing secretary, Shaun Donovan – now the White House budget director –tagged along. “I am here today because I stole one terrific secretary of HUD from you, but I’ve delivered another terrific HUD secretary,” Obama said.

Castro was sworn in on Monday in a private ceremony at the agency’s headquarters overlooking the Potomac River. He is the only Texan in the Cabinet.

Obama echoed Castro’s briefer pep talk.

“This is, this should be, a department of opportunity,” the president said. “We still have work to do but think about the progress we’ve made. Home prices, home sales, construction — all up. Veterans homelessness down by nearly 25 percent. Home values above water.”

And, he said, “Nobody is more passionate about these issues than Julian.”

Castro served three terms as mayor. His keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic convention cemented his role as a rising Texas Democratic star. He is one of four Hispanics in the Cabinet or with Cabinet rank, and by far the one with the highest profile.

Obama encouraged HUD workers to help Castro succeed.

“You shouldn’t just be checking in and punching a clock. Every single day there is somebody out there who could use your help,” he said. “There’s always going to be some bureaucracy. There’s always going to be some red tape. Your job is to fix that stuff or work around that stuff.”

As for Castro, the president said, “He’s got energy, he’s got drive. He’s young, he’s good looking – you can’t let him down.”

Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who was sworn in Monday as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, greeted President Obama on his arrival July 17, 2012, in San Antonio.

WASHINGTON — Julián Castro has been Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for less than a day — and he’s already being celebrated as the newest Latino addition to the president’s Cabinet.

Hours after the former San Antonio mayor assumed his post Monday, he was feted at a Capitol Hill event for his achievements as a Latino American.

“The Hispanic community has made tremendous strides over the last several decades,” Castro told The Dallas Morning News. “And I applaud President Obama for the strong support he has shown.”

Castro was honored with three other top officials: Labor Secretary Thomas Perez; Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the Small Business Administration; and Katherine Archuleta, director of the Office of Personnel Management. The gathering was hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

The group represents the first time four Latino Cabinet members or Cabinet-rank officials have served in a president’s Cabinet.

Mercedes Democrat Rubén Hinojosa told The News that the bloc signifies the strides the Hispanic community has made.

“They are seeing the potential of the Latino and Latina community here in the United States,” Hinojosa said.

Castro, 39, rose to national prominence after delivering the keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. He served three terms as mayor, and said that experience showed him how HUD and other federal agencies work at the ground level.

“HUD has a fantastic role to play in helping to revitalize America’s cities and towns,” Castro said. “At the end of the day, what counts is whether an initiative is actually effective in the long run.”

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute will honor Castro tonight, along with other Latinos with Cabinet rank: Labor Secretary Thomas Perez; Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the Small Business Administration; and Katherine Archuleta, director of the Office of Personnel Management.

The swearing-in took place in private.

Castro, 39, was a three-term mayor of San Antonio before resigning that post last Tuesday. In 2012, he won national attention as the keynote speaker of the Democratic National Convention.

Then-San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who will take office on Monday as Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs, attends an event on homeless veterans at the White House on June 4.

update 11:30am

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute will fete Castro on Monday night, along with three other Cabinet members or Cabinet-rank officials.

The “historic event” will celebrate Castro; Labor Secretary Thomas Perez; Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the Small Business Administration; and Katherine Archuleta, director of the Office of Personnel Management.

original post:

WASHINGTON — Former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro will be sworn in on Monday as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a HUD official said.

President Barack Obama picked him to replace his new budget director, Shaun Donovan. Castro won Senate confirmation easily on July 9 with support from Texas’ senior senator, John Cornyn. Sen. Ted Cruz opposed him.

The swearing in will take place in private.

Castro stepped down earlier this week from his post in San Antonio. He has been replaced by Ivy Taylor, a city councilwoman who was sworn in on Tuesday as mayor, becoming the city’s first African American mayor.

Julián Castro, the new secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs, at the White House on June 4.

update 4pm

Through an aide, Sen. Cruz explains his vote against Castro:

“I respect Mayor Castro but share the concerns my colleagues voiced in his nomination hearing. Specifically, questions regarding the use of eminent domain by local municipalities, FHA loans, and the federal enforcement of local zoning and housing laws were not sufficiently answered. We need a HUD Secretary who will help wind down our government’s heavy hand in housing, not simply further the President’s regulatory agenda. Despite our differences in policy, I am committed to working in good faith with the mayor in his new role and wish him all the best.”

WASHINGTON — San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro has been confirmed this afternoon as the nation’s new Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

His brother, freshman Rep. Joaquin Castro, watched the Senate vote along with other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas’ most prominent Hispanic Republican, voted against confirmation of Castro, a rising star in his own party and the state’s most prominent Hispanic Democrat.

Sen. John Cornyn, the deputy GOP leader, voted “aye.” He had signaled his support by introducing Mayor Castro at the nomination hearing last month. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was among those who voted against Castro.

Under Senate rules, nominees require only a simple majority. Castro cleared that hurdle easily. The vote was 71-26.

Cruz is widely seen to be angling for a 2016 run for president. Two potential rivals in the Senate split on the Castro nomination. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also voted no. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — another top Hispanic Republican — supported confirmation.

Castro will be the only Texan in the Cabinet. Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk served during Obama’s first term as U.S. Trade Representative, a Cabinet-level post.

Castro’s brother, the congressman, called today’s vote “a testament to the incredible work Julian has done as mayor of our hometown of San Antonio…. I’m confident Julian will work tirelessly in his new role making responsible homeownership more accessible, combating homelessness, and strengthening the rise of cities across our country.”

President Obama released a statement from Denver, lauding the confirmation.

“Julián is a proven leader, a champion for safe, affordable housing and strong, sustainable neighborhoods. I know that together with the dedicated professionals at HUD, Julián will help build on the progress we’ve made battling back from the Great Recession — rebuilding our housing market, reducing homelessness among veterans, and connecting neighborhoods with good schools and good jobs that help our citizens succeed. Julián has lived the American Dream in his own life, and I’m confident he will help Americans across our country seize their own piece of that dream for themselves and their children.”

“His on-the-ground experience in San Antonio, where he has worked to help his community meet its housing and economic development goals, will serve him well,” he said. “The department has many important tasks at hand, as the housing market continues to recover and Congress continues its efforts to reform the housing finance system, and I look forward to working with Secretary Castro.”

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, listens at left as his brother, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro testifies at his confirmation hearing to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

WASHINGTON — San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro cleared his first hurdle in a bid to join the Obama Cabinet, as the Senate Banking Committee voted 16-6 this morning to approve his nomination for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The six no votes all came from Republicans: Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, David Vitter of Louisiana, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Mark Kirk of Illiniois, Jerry Moran of Kansas, and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Four of the committee’s 10 Republicans supported Castro, as did all 12 Democrats.

Neither Texas senator serves on the panel, though Sen. John Cornyn, the deputy GOP leader, introduced Castro in laudatory terms last week at his confirmation hearing. Under Senate rules, it takes only a simple majority of the full Senate to confirm a Cabinet nominee.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, listens at left as his brother, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, testifies today at his confirmation hearing to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

update 10:13am CT Hearing adjourned. The Castro brothers posed for photos with each other and with people in the hearing room. The mayor left without speaking with reporters. A committee vote is likely to come later this month, after he answers some written questions from lawmakers.

“I thought it went well,” Congressman Castro said afterward.

Your humble reporter, himself the brother of identical twins, is grateful to the Castros for wearing different colored ties to make it easier to figure out who is who. The mayor wore blue with a stripe. The congressman wore red.

update 10am CT

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., offers the first explicit vow of support from the Republican side of the committee: “I look forward to supporting you in this nomination,” he tells Castro after a friendly back and forth over the future of housing finance. Castro avoiding committing to any particular legislation but agreed that the current duopoly enjoyed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the quasi-public companies that create liquidity in the housing finance market, but which also required huge taxpayer bailouts after the 2008 crash — needs fixing.

“The devil is in the details,” Castro said.

update 9:40am CT:

Castro vows to make sure that bad loans don’t cost taxpayers in the future.

“I share with you a commitment to ensuring that the FHA has a positive capital reserve ratio… and that it does not need another mandatory appropriation,” he told senators.

Chairman Johnson asked Castro about his city’s apparent misuse of HUD money. The Department’s inspector general reported in 2012 that San Antonio had misused federal moneys it received through the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund from 2009 to 2011.

Castro, who became mayor in 2009, said the city had paid back $125,000 as soon as he and the City Council learned of the problems. “Compliance was strengthened. Personnel were removed,” he said.

Crapo, the senior Republican on the Senate panel, asked Castro about the $1.7 billion infusion of money from the Treasury that was needed to cover losses at the Federal Housing Authority.

“I share your goals in ensuring that we have a housing finance system that both protects the taxpayers … … and also balances access to credit for folks of modest means,” Castro said. He echoed Crapo’s concerns that the current housing finance system needs fixing. “The status quo is not in the best interest of Americans…. The current conservatorship of Fannie and Freddie is not sustainable for the long term…. It’s a balancing act. I know that there are concerns about access to credit.”

update 9:20am CT: Sen. Cornyn joked that Castro is eager to get home to continue the city’s celebrations of the Spurs’ NBA championship this weekend. “That celebration is still going on and will for a long time,” he said.

He called Castro’s biography “compelling,” noting the family’s rise from modest roots (including time in public housing) to an education at Stanford and at Harvard Law School.

“Many Texans are reassured by Mayor Castro’s example that the American dream is still very much alive,” Cornyn said. He mentioned a number of challenges facing HUD, including the future of housing finance programs. “We know that federal housing policy is not sustainable.”

Castro’s brother, the congressman, arrived just as his brother finished his opening statement.

“You’ll have to forgive him. He was the second born twin, so sometimes he’s late,” the mayor said.

Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, the senior Republican on the committee, told Castro he’s most interested in the mayor’s views on the future of housing finance reform, and the fiscal solvency of the Federal Housing Administration.

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican, will introduce San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro at a confirmation hearing this morning, signaling a smooth path to the Cabinet for the rising Texas Democrat.

President Obama picked Castro last month to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as part of a Cabinet shuffle that would shift current HUD secretary Shaun Donovan to a slot as White House budget director.

The Castro family was well represented at the hearing, with the mayor’s twin, freshman U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, seated behind him, with the mayor’s wife, Erica.

“As mayor, I’ve made it my mission to help create a vibrant, economically prosperous urban core that expands housing opportunities for all San Antonians,” Castro said in written testimony to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

As for his priorities, he said, HUD should “focus on outcomes, not only inputs. We shouldn’t just track projects and dollars spent.”

Shortly after 10am ET, Cornyn entered the hearing room. Castro then emerged from behind the committee horseshoe, to a flutter of camera clicks. The senator — who calls San Antonio home — shook hands with the mayor at the witness table. Chairman Tim Johnson, D-S.D., has tapped the gavel to open the meeting.

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, left, as President Obama names him to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development on May 23. He would replace Shaun Donovan, second from left, whom Obama is nominating to run the Office of Management and Budget.

update 3:45pm:

Cornyn said the meeting with Castro went well.

“I don’t see any obstacles to his confirmation right now,” he told our reporter, Ben Kamisar. “I asked him about his plans for the office, given the challenges of managing large bureaucracies and the problems we’ve seen associated with the VA , whether he was ready to deal with the huge HUD bureaucracy.”

Is he ready?

“I think he’s plenty smart and I think like everyone who has never done that particular job before, I think he’s capable of learning it and doing well,” Cornyn said.

update 3pm: Mayor Castro, flanked by White House handlers running interference, refused to speak with our reporter Ben Kamisar as he headed into a meeting in Sen. Cornyn’s office.

WASHINGTON — San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is making the rounds at the Senate today, unannounced, rounding up support for his Cabinet nomination.

On May 23, President Obama named the 39-year-old mayor, a rising star among Texas Democrats, to serve as his next secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said he’ll meet with Castro later today, and spoke with him by phone earlier this week.

“I’m certainly open to his confirmation,” Cornyn said on his weekly call with Texas reporters. He wasn’t ready to say for sure that Castro will get his vote. But it won’t much matter, he added, given that Democrats changed Senate rules a few months back to ensure confirmation for any nominee backed by 51 out of 100 senators — down from the previous threshold of 60.

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, left, in the State Dining Room of the White House as President Obama officially names him Friday as his pick for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He would replace Shaun Donovan, second from left -- Obama's pick to run the Office of Management and Budget. Vice President Biden is on the right.

And Sen. Ted Cruz’s office has offered up a comment. The state’s leading Hispanic Republican calls its leading Hispanic Democrat a “bright, charismatic young leader” — Cruz is only 3 years older than his fellow Harvard Law grad, by the way — but isn’t saying whether he’ll support confirmation.

“The senator wishes Mayor Castro the best on his nomination,” said Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. “He looks forward to visiting with him and will evaluate his record on the merits. Mayor Castro is a bright, charismatic young leader, and San Antonio has prospered under the free-market policies of the State of Texas.”

WASHINGTON — President Obama called San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro an “all-star” on Friday as he formally rolled out his choice to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

He lauded Castro’s leadership in San Antonio, and recalled his keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic convention – when most Americans first might have heard of the up-and-comer.

“They saw this young guy, pretty good speaker, not bad looking, talk about how America is the only place where his story could even be possible. And I thought, that’s not bad,” Obama said.

And he recounted the family story: a grandmother who came from Mexico, and worked as a maid, a cook and a babysitter — “whatever she had to do to keep a roof over her family’s head.” Her grandson would end up at Stanford and Harvard Law School, and as mayor of the city where he’d grown up in modest circumstances.

“Julián ha vivido el Sueño Americano,” the president said in Spanish: He has lived the American Dream.

The president urged the Senate to provide quick confirmation for Castro — and the HUD secretary he would succeed, Shaun Donovan, whom Obama has tapped as budget director — “without games and without delay.”

Prospects in the Senate aren’t clear yet. Republicans likely will look for guidance to Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. They were noncommittal on Friday.

“Sen. Cornyn will carefully consider Mayor Castro’s nomination just as he does all other Cabinet-level nominations,” said spokeswoman Jessica Sandlin.

At the White House, Castro gave a “muchísimas gracias” to the people of San Antonio.

“America’s cities are growing again and housing is at the top of the agenda,” he said. “I look forward to being a part of the department that will ensure that millions of Americans all across the country have the chance to get good, safe, affordable housing and to reach their American dreams.”

The mayor’s twin, freshman U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, was among the handful of lawmakers on hand for the ceremony in the State Dining Room, where a portrait of Abraham Lincoln served as backdrop.

“As a brother, I am proud and excited for Julián on his appointment as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,” the congressman said in a statement issued by his office. (Reporters were kept roped off from VIPs and didn’t get a chance to chat up any of them.)

He called San Antonio a “city on the rise” under his brother.

“During his time as mayor, Julián has worked with everyone–Democrats, Republicans, and independents–to get things done for San Antonio. I am confident he will work in the same way to achieve great things for our nation,” the congressman said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attended. So did Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Much of the cabinet also was in the audience.

Pelosi called the mayor “one of our finest urban leaders, a man with bold vision and first-hand experience with the challenges facing our communities. His life is the embodiment of what is possible in America.”